The Master

AroView: Paul Thomas Anderson directs this mercurial period drama of a disaffected war veteran who falls under the spell of the charismatic leader of a cult.

Although fascinating for its overt allusions to the founding of Scientology, the narrative posits neither a critique nor a defense of L. Ron Hubbard’s bizarre faith, but conversely, a vast and open-ended portrait of antisocial characters searching for meaning and direction in the unsettled years following World War II. Anchored by electrifying performances – Phoenix and Hoffman, in particular, are worth singling out as acting opposites who somehow attract – the film similarly embraces a push-pull magnetism through its strange, elusive rhythms and uncanny sense of the past, which evokes many of the great American character studies of the ’70s.

“A bold, challenging, brilliantly acted drama that is a must for serious audiences.” ~Hollywood Reporter

“A mind-bending cinematic landmark.” ~Rolling Stone